


Fate is a Funny Thing

by heda_is_life



Category: Castle (TV) RPF, DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The 100 (TV)
Genre: Avalance 2018 Winter Fluff-A-Thon, Clexa Love Week, Cute Kids, Drama, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Just Friends, Romance, Time Travelling Lesbians
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2020-12-16 15:04:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 16,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21038171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heda_is_life/pseuds/heda_is_life
Summary: this is the 100, Castle, and Legends of Tomorrow fic that not a single person asked for but i’m writing anyway bc i love every single one of these TV shows w my whole hearthope you guys enjoy;)ALSO, if you’re here for the Avalance only, it starts around chapter 10!!!!!





	1. Ava Sharpe Intro

**Author's Note:**

> These first few chapters will introduce the characters and the life milestones that got them where they are today. I feel like these first few chapters are crucial to understanding the story as a whole, so I hope you all enjoy.  
Also, the chapters will start out kind of quick just to introduce the characters but they will get longer and start to tie together a little more.

Ava Sharpe walked through her office and sat down in front of her desk. On any other day, she would sit behind it, but today was different. She felt out of place, almost like she didn't belong there anymore. The thought had crossed her mind a million times over the past couple of months, yknow? Just get up, take everything you have, and walk out. No looking back or thinking twice about moving to...well anywhere but D.C.. She had been so caught up in her work, Ever since she got this job it’s been, wake up at 5 am, go for a morning run, take a shower, grab something quick for breakfast, go to work, come home, prepare dinner, drink a glass of wine, or two, and sometimes three, and then go to bed. Nothing ever changed. It was all the same.

It was driving her insane, feeling like she didn't belong anymore. The FBI had taught her a lot, but it’s time for her to resign and move on to the next step in her life. Fuck the desk job, she missed the action! She missed the field, even if that meant she was training new recruits. At least she wasn't stuck behind a desk all day filling out reports about some terrorist attack or money laundering operation that went sideways. She missed being the one to knock the doors down and get the bad guys. Now, well now, she’s bored. 

Ava had originally gone to school to be a lawyer. She got accepted into Harvard at 16 and graduated one year early with her Bachelors degree in sociology with a minor in psychology. She then re-attended Harvard a year later, after taking a hiatus to travel the country a little, and completed one year of Harvard Law before she dropped out because “Law is too boring. I don't want to be stuck behind a desk doing nothing all the time.” Well, that’s what she told her parents anyway. In reality, she fell head over heels for one of her professors and was kicked out when the Dean found out about their relationship. 

After that whole debacle, she decided to join the Air Force, because why not? Protect the country and travel the world? Sounds pretty damn good to me. That is until her F-16 fighter jet, Lightning Rod, was shot down right out of the air and into enemy territory. Ava and her co-captain Oliver escaped, but barely. They had just hit their release on their seats when an enemy F-35 loaded Lightning Rod with M50 rounds. 

When Oliver and Ava landed on the ground, they were separated by enemy lines. Unfortunately, Ava was on the wrong side of said line. She had to survive on her own for three weeks before Alpha team rescued her. After that, she spent most of her time fixing fighter jets, rather than flying them. 

After four years and three tours, Ava decided she needed to let the Air Force go. She retired her wings as an O-3 (Captain) and started her final journey to the FBI. Or so she thought. 

Ava applied for FBI special response team, and because of her military background, got in with ease. She rose through the ranks pretty quickly and was eventually elected into the Deputy Director position by former President Bush. 

As she rose to fame, her desire to be number one overtook her desire to do what she loved. Soon, her fun and exciting position became that of paperwork. So much fucking paperwork. 

She knew she should have considered the consequences of accepting the position of Deputy Director of the FBI. She longed for the excitement of sand under her boots, or dirt under her tennis shoes, or anything other than whatever the hell kind of life she was living now. 

It was time for a change and she knew it. Today, she would make the biggest decision of her life.

  
  



	2. Sara Lance Intro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is an intro into Sara's life and why she is how she is...amazing

Sara Lance strolled into Mick’s Pub like clockwork. She went to Mick’s everyday after work for a couple beers, pool, and if she was lucky, a good old fashioned bar fight. Sara owned her own martial arts/fitness studio, so she didn't really have to worry about anyone firing her for misconduct and one of her closest friends own the bar, Mick, obviously. 

Sara’s studio was the highest ranked in all of Tampa. She opened her studio right after her mentor passed away, in her memory. When Sara was 16 her dad scheduled her a massage with one of his old high school friends. Denise was just starting her reflexology business and was taking clients in for free to pretty much use them as advertisement. Sara was reluctant to go at first, but she had a soccer game the next night so she decided it wouldn’t be the worst thing to get her feet rubbed on a little. 

When she arrived, a small, hyper woman greeted her and ushered her over to a large chair. Sara sat down and introduced herself to the woman, who in turn introduced herself as Denise. Before Denise started, she placed a warm towel, that smelled like fresh peppermint, around her neck which instantly relaxed her. 

During the massage, Denise told Sara about how her dad had stuck up for her in high school and how much of a gentleman he was to her. Denise developed a disease when she was two years old that caused her to lose all of her hair. As you can imagine, high school was absolute hell for her. Sara found herself intrigued by this woman, she was sharing so much and they had just met. Denise was very easy to talk to and Sara instantly connected with her. 

After a painful, yet rewarding, 30 minutes, Denise asked Sara if she was interested in seeing her Dojo. Sara accepted the offer, not wanting to be rude, and followed the woman around the side of the building into another. As soon as Sara walked in, she froze. It was like she lost all of her senses and everything went black. In a good way though, not like a passout kind of blackout, but like destiny had smacked her right across the face. 

Denise showed her around and still, Sara could barely respond to anything. She was so appalled at the energy that was flowing through her body. Denise must have noticed it too, because she started asking Sara if she was interested in karate. Before just a moment ago, Sara had never considered martial arts. Now, she was determined to learn everything about it. 

From that moment on, Sara went to Denise’s Dojo three times a week for about six months. She had been excelling quickly and was winning all of the tournaments she attended. Karate had become her passion and she was going to make a life out of it. Not only did Sara excell at Shotokan karate, which was one of the oldest styles of the art focused mainly on defense, she started picking up on other forms and was eventually teaching Sensei Denise the similarities and differences between styles. 

Denise had easily become one of Sara’s closest friends. It was when she passed away that Sara decided to open a gym in her name. Sara had taken Denise’s death really hard. She started drinking and getting into more trouble than she should have. She almost got her dad kicked off the force because he bailed her out so many times with his shield. 

That’s how she found herself at Mick’s Pub every night after work. She had been getting better, only staying for about two hours every night instead of all night. Sara was tired of feeling sorry for herself, Denise wasn't even her blood family, yet here she was. Even though Denise didn't share the same genes, she had been the one to strike passion inside of Sara’s heart. Therefore, Denise was Sara’s favorite person. She missed her so damn much. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, let me know if I can do anything to improve this story!!


	3. Kate Beckett's intro

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk if any of you have ever watched Castle, but this show is literally my favorite show and boosts my mood 24/7

Kate Beckett walked around the kitchen counter, with pancakes in hand. She had a hungry tribe of four to feed and she was already running a little behind schedule. She had a meeting at the mayor's office in less than an hour and she still had to drop Lily, Jake, and Reece off at daycare. Normally her husband, Rick, would take them, but he had a book signing at the same time just across town. 

The daycare center wasn't far from their flat, it was just far enough to risk Kate being late. There wasn't much this captain couldn't pull off though, and making sure her kids were safe and sound at daycare and her herself not being late to a very important meeting, piece of cake. 

After everyone scarfed down their food, Kate gave Rick a quick kiss and hurried her little ones into the SUV and drove out of the parking garage. Following check-in, Kate speed walked back to her car and hit the gas a little faster than what might be smiled upon by her fellow law enforcement members, but oh well. New York traffic wasn't as bad a she had anticipated and she made it to the mayor’s office with ten minutes to spare. 

Before walking in, she straightened her hair and flattened and re-tucked the front of her purple blouse into her grey pants suit. She was ready, she’s got this. 

The meeting was so boring. She barely spoke two words the entire time. How did she get here? Like, seriously. She used to be a badass homicide detective that set records for the state. Well, I guess that’s how she got there, but why did she get there? Sure, being captain of the Twelfth was fun and all, but there was so much paperwork. 

Kate couldn't begin to understand how or why Captain Montgomery or Captain Gates handled the mounds of reports on her desk. Especially with her and Castle running around wreaking havoc. Well, that was mainly Castle, but they were technically partners so the responsibility fell on her too. Not that she was complaining, if it hadn't been for Rick’s insufferable attempts to get Kate to fall in love with him, she probably wouldn't have. She would probably still be off with Josh or one of her other nowhere relationships with men she didn't love.

Rick, Rick on the other hand changed her perception of men. Kate always thought she would grow up, get married, have kids, and work. Life had other plans though. She had never been in a really serious relationship until Castle. Even before they got together, she felt closer to him than with anyone else she had ever been with. 

Anyway, it’s crazy to think that Kate rose to the top so quickly from such a bad experience. When her mother was murdered, a fire lit in her stomach and she kept lighting it until it burned itself out. That was, until Rick found some new evidence and lit that match one more time. Except, this time, it had almost gotten her killed, more than once. 

Then again, if it hadn't been for Rick, she never would have found her mother’s murderer and she wouldn't have her three beautiful children. Then again, if it hadn't been for Castle, she probably would have risen to Captain a little sooner, but we won't tell him that. She couldn't be happier with her home life, it was just her job. There were very few instances where Kate actually had time and energy to go out in the field with her old partners, Ryan and Espo. She missed the good old days. She wanted those years back. Back when she wasn't Captain, and back before she was behind a desk instead of behind a gun. 

Kate was about to make some major changes, hopefully Castle won't mind too much. 


	4. Lexa Woods' intro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we look into how Lexa Woods became the person she is today

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as you all know, The 100 is one of my all time favorite shows so of course I had to include my favorite Grounder in this story

Lexa Woods drove down Main Street and turned onto Fifth Avenue North, then merged onto I-95 south bound. The time had finally come for Lexa’s much needed vacation. Being a Marine really took its toll on her mind and body. 

Lexa joined the Marines straight out of high school; her parents weren't too pleased with that decision, but they supported her anyway. There was nothing she could see herself doing differently. She loved protecting her people and being in the middle of the action. In fact, Lexa almost became a Corpsman in the Navy so she could go in with the Marine infantry brigades who were the first on the field and last out. Instead, she became one of the first women to join the Marine infantry program. 

If it hadn't been for her stubborn nature and down to earth badassery, she probably wouldn't have made it past Hell Week. Everyone doubted her, even some of her female Drill Instructors. Not many women made it past the Infantry processing and even fewer actually graduate and none had graduated top of their class. Except for her. 

The guys were jealous of course, always throwing slurs her way and accusing her of taking steroids, but they were just embarrassed by the fact that a woman beat them in every category. They eventually warmed up to her and started calling her Heda, which in her native language means Commander. 

And that is exactly why she needed this vacation. Having such a responsibility on your shoulders was exhausting. It was fun, don't get her wrong, her platoon looked at her for advice, but shit, it was dragging her down. 

Lexa had been counting down the days to these next two weeks. She had decided to drive down to Florida to visit some friends who were stationed at Central Command base in Tampa. 

The only thing she wasn't as excited about was the sand. She lived on base at Lejeune, North Carolina and they were always running in the sand. It helps with your endurance and stamina, but good god she hated it. She loved the beach, hated the sand. Makes sense right? 

Lexa didn't have that far of a drive ahead of her, only about six hours. So she turned up the tunes, rolled the windows of her 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee and headed south to her home for the next two weeks. 

When she arrived in Tampa, she pulled into the driveway of her cute, two bedroom, beach front Airbnb. She looked through her emails and found the code for the door and began to take her bags inside. If the Marine Corps had taught her anything, it was how to pack a shit ton of stuff into one large green bag. 

Lexa had brought 16 shirts, some tank tops, some t-shirts, and a couple of her favorite jersey’s that she look gay as fuck in that she would reserve for the clubs. Six pairs of shorts, varying in length, and four pairs of shoes: one pair of checkered black and white vans, all black Nike tennis shoes, her brown Birkenstocks, and black Chacos. Her outfits were a direct correlation to her personality. Sometimes she could be daddy af and other times she could look like a sweet innocent woman who just wants to be spoiled.

Now that she had her outfits all hung up and organized, she checked all of the exits and went over fast exit strategies in case of an emergency. The military training again. 

Not too long after that, she got a text from Clarke telling her she was free to come to the base and hang with her, Octavia, Bellamy, Lincoln and Raven. And off she went. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you guys want to see with Lexa and I'll do my best to accommodate!!!


	5. Ava's Resignation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ava pretty much tells the president of the united states that she doesn’t want to work for him anymore

Ava made sure to put on her nicest suit for today’s events. It was her navy blue Neiman Marcus power suit, as she liked to call it. This outfit was the one she wore to her very first interview with the FBI and she thinks it is that very suit that got her the job in the first place. First impressions were a major factor in any hiring process, but especially for a government organization tasked with protecting the country. 

Anyway, she wore this outfit because she needed to feel powerful as she went to talk to the Attorney General of the United States to tender her resignation. This also meant she wasn't going to “put her name in the bowl” you could say. When she was elected to this position, she automatically signed up for a 10 year term. If it had not been for this condition, she would have resigned about five years ago. 

As she drove to work, she thought about all of the cases that had crossed her desk in the last 10 years. Her very first case as Deputy Director dealt with the Irish Mafia’s huge money laundering business. It was tasked to her and her team to find the root of their banking operations and put a stop to it. 

The actual objective of the mission was to arrest Damien Darhk, the head of the mafia. Turns out, Mr. Darhk had more resources than the department had originally thought and by resources she means dirty agents. 

On a normal case, she would gather a team to do all of the ground work and they would report directly to her. Well, Ava being Ava thought she should oversee her first big case and ended up getting shot by a member of her own team. Despite being shot, she and the rest of her team apprehended the dirty agent and Mr. Darhk. Both of whom are currently enjoying their life sentences in a federal supermax prison. 

“Ah, the good ole days,” she said to herself as she pulled into her designated parking spot. 

Ave walked through the front doors of the Pentagon, where she had arranged a meeting with the President himself and the other important cabinet members to officially turn in her resignation. 

“Mr. President, nice to see you again,” Ave stuck out her hand and offered a handshake to the president. 

“Director Sharpe, the pleasure is all mine.” President Obama took her hand in return and gave her a firm handshake. “How are things at the office?”

Ava cleared her throat rather awkwardly, she knew the president was wanting to re-elect her as Deputy Director, but she had other plans. Telling the president you don't want to do something he wants you to do though, now that is some hard shit. 

“Everything is running smoothly, arrests have been gradually increasing and white collar crime is slowly decreasing,” She said matter of factly, she was proud of that fact. “Big” arrests had been up since she took charge and crime rates had gone down by three percent on a national basis, which is pretty spectacular. 

“That’s good to hear. I knew former President Bush had made the right decision electing you into this position. I knew you wouldn't disappoint,” President Obama gave Ava one of his signature smiles. He had a way about him like no one she had ever met before. He could put a smile on your face on your worst days. Which is why what she is about to announce is going to suck, a lot. 

“Thank you sir, but I actually need to talk to you about that,” she said sheepishly. “If we could go ahead and start the meeting, so I don't have to repeat anything to everyone else, that would be best, sir.”

“Of course. Everyone, please take your seats and prepare yourselves for the meeting.” 

Once everyone took their seats and got settled, President Obama looked to Ava and said, “Director Sharpe would like to share something with us, if we could give her our attention please.” He smiled at Ava and nodded his head, encouraging her to stand and say what she would like to say. 

It was now or never. Ava stood up and straightened her blazer and cleared her throat. “As we all know, re-elections are right around the corner and my term as Deputy Director of the FBI will end in two weeks.” She took another deep breath and said it straight up. “I will not be running for re-election for a second term. I have decided that it is my time to start the next stage of my life.” Ava looked over at President Obama, who was giving her a soft, understanding smile. 

“Mr. President, I have enjoyed working with you over these past seven years, and with President Bush for three years prior, but I can't make this my life anymore. I need to move on and find my next passion. I really do appreciate everything you have done for me.” Ava felt a lot better now that she had gotten that off her chest. She knew deep down that the president wouldn't be upset with her, he couldn't get upset with anyone if he tried. 

“With that being said, I propose we have a farewell gathering sometime soon. Say, next week?” He was addressing everyone at the table, most of them had been there with Ava since she first got elected. 

“Sounds good, sir.” Ava said, after a few seconds. 

“Great! Now let’s go ahead and get down to business. I am going to take advantage of every second you still work for me, Director Sharpe,” he smiled.

The rest of the meeting was pretty boring, but she survived. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as some of you noticed, i did not write current President Trump in this story bc i feel like the warm soft attitude towards Ava now and in future chapters fits best with former President Obama's persona


	6. Sara meets Zari

Sara, once again, found herself shuffling into Mick’s after work and a quick shower. Yeah, she probably was destroying her liver, but at least she had been getting better about it. 

She sauntered over to the cute brunette sitting alone at the bar and made quick introductions before sitting down next to her. 

“Hey, my name is Sara. Mind if I sit?”

“Not at all, I’m Zari.” The brunette said, throwing back a shot of whiskey. “Rough night?” She asked Sara, looking at the fat bruise on her arm.

“You could say that,” she shrugged. One of her students, Kendra, at the dojo had asked her to stay after and spar a little. Of course Sara couldn't say no to opening a can of whoop ass on someone. Sadly, Kendra did most of the ass whooping this time. She had been attending classes since Sara first opened the dojo and had progressed exponentially. It didn't help that Sara had been distracted the whole time by John Constantine, a former “lover” or whatever. He was giving her the look all night. 

Constantine is actually the reason she had to shower for the second time before heading over to the bar. A quick little something in her office after she had taken her first shower and shut the place down for the night, which led to shower number two. 

“Earth to Sara,” Zari said, waving her hand in front of Sara’s face. “Anyone home?” she laughed. 

“Sorry, I’m a bit distracted. What did you say?”

“I asked about your bruise there.”

“Oh, yeah I teach karate at my dojo and a student got the drop on me tonight,” she answered with an embarrassed smile. 

“Ah, so the student became the teacher huh?” 

“I guess you could say that. In my defense though, I was a bit distracted.” Sara waved to Mick who nodded his head and started making her usual poison. 

“That seems like a common theme tonight. Care to let me in on the secret? Are you actually a spy and the government is hunting you down for betraying them? Or have you figured out a way to travel through time and you’ve seen your own death?”

Sara raised her eyebrows at the woman’s wild accusations and took a swig of her drink, once Mick sat it down in front of her. “Sadly no to all of those, especially the time travel one. That one was the most amusing. How’d you come up with that?”

“What can I say, I’ve got a vivid imagination,” she shrugged. “But no, you can't change the subject like that. What’s a pretty girl like you got on her mind?”

“Look, you seem right up my alley, but I don't come here to talk about my feelings. I come here to bury them in some of Mick’s finest liquor. So if you don't mind, I would like to keep my feelings out of the conversation.” 

“Now that’s my kind of woman,” Zari winked and Sara rolled her eyes.

After that, they fell into a comfortable silence for a little bit, just enjoying the live music and alcohol. Then, Zari got up and went to “powder my nose” which Sara obviously took as an invitation to join her in her powdering. 

They were in and out in no more than eight minutes. 

“If you ever want to do that again, maybe in a more comfortable place, hit me up,” Zari winked, grabbed her bag, and headed out the door. 

  
  



	7. Kate tells the boys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, sorry i’ve been MIA on like all of my stories but i’m back at college now, which means A) i’ll be writing a lot more or B) i’ll be writing at about the same pace i have been lol, lets all hope for the former but no promises.

Kate walked through the precinct doors and checked in her weapon and badge with security. She made her way up the stairs until she made it to her floor and greeted a few of the early risers. Night shift was just leaving and switching with day shift. Ryan and Espo came in moments after her, arguing about where Javier’s bachelor party was going to be held. 

“Vegas? Really Ryan? Isn't that the most stereotypical place on earth?” Esposito argued.

“Yes, but as your best man, I get to decide where we go and what we do.” Ryan practically pouted. 

“C’mon bro, how many times do I have to tell you, getting a beer with you and Castle is all I need. I just want to be surrounded by my best friends and hang out. Why are you so against that?” Espo rounded the corner of his desk with Ryan right on his heels. 

“Really? You mean that?”

“No!” Espo laughed, “Of course I want you guys with me, but just not in Vegas.”

“Then where do you suggest we go?”

“Let’s go skydiving.”

“No way,” Ryan scoffed.

“You ever been?” Espo asked.

“Well...no, but Jenny would never let me go. She would kill me.”

“Yeah, well that’s what I want for my bachelor party,” Espo said matter-of-factly. 

“C’mon Beckett, help me out here!” Ryan yelled across the bull pin where Beckett was getting her usual latte. 

“Just go skydiving, Kev. It can't be that bad,” she shrugged. 

“Yeah well I have a wife and daughter to go live for! What if the parachute doesn't open? I can't leave Sarah Grace without a father.”

“Kev, you’re overthinking it. You have better chances of getting eaten by a shark or struck by lightning than your parachute not opening,” Kate retorted. 

“Exactly, bro. I can't tell you how many successful jumps I had while in the service.”

“Yes, but that was overseen by the Army, my equipment will probably be checked by some low life who doesn't care about his life or mine.”

“That was a low blow bro. Not cool,” Espo shook his head in disappointment at his best friend’s comment. 

“You’re right, I’m sorry. I just don't know.” Kevin gave up and sat down at his desk.

Kate couldn't help but think about how much she was going to miss moments like these. Her meeting with the mayor ended in her giving her three weeks notice. Three weeks from now, she would no longer be captain of the Twelfth Precinct Homicide Division. A week after that, she will be starting her career in the FBI field office in Tampa, Florida. Her and Castle talked about it over a bottle of wine and he was supportive of her decision. Then again, he always was, which is one of the reasons she is so madly in love with him. 

“Where’d you go Cap?” Javier asked, looking a little concerned. 

“Sorry, what? I zoned out.” Kate covered. 

“Everything okay?” Kevin asked.

“Actually, no. I have something to tell you guys. I need you to be supportive, please don't make this any harder than it already is.” Kate took a deep breath and told the boys the news. 

  
  



	8. Lexa meets up with her people

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i wrote like four chapters last night w/o thinking, so i’m going to post them as i proof read them, but might i say...i’m excited for you guys to see what happens

Lexa parked her car outside of Clarke, Octavia, and Raven’s house and ran up to the door. She was greeted first by their Silver Sable German Shepherd, Pauna. He sprinted out the door when Octavia opened it and tackled Lexa. 

“Woah! Nice to see you too buddy!” She said as he licked all over her face and buried his nose in her neck. Pauna used to be Lexa’s explosive detection dog before he retired and moved in with her three best friends. Anytime she came to visit, he practically glued himself to her and rarely ever let her out of his sight. 

“Lex!” Clarke pushed past Octavia and Raven and engulfed Lexa in a tight hug on the ground. They had tried to workout a relationship earlier in their careers, but when Lexa got stationed in North Carolina and Clarke in Florida, they decided to go their separate ways and remain friends. That being said, the feelings were still 100% there. 

“Clarke, oh my god it’s been forever!” Lexa responded, pulling Clarke tighter against her chest. 

“Hey lovebirds, get a room,” called Raven from the door. 

Clarke pulled back and choked on air when she realized that she was practically sitting on Lexa’s lap. “Shit, I’m sorry. I didn't realize…”

“No arguments from me,” Lexa gave Clarke her signature smirk and winked. 

Clarke could feel the heat rising up her neck and down between her legs, so she thought it best to get off the woman under her and contain herself. 

“How’s it going Heda?” Octavia asked as she threw her left arm around Lexa’s shoulder and gave her a side hug. 

“Y’know, I only want to go AWOL about once a month, but other than that...pretty well.” Lexa loved her job, she loved being a Marine, but damn, it could really be a bitch when you least want it. 

“I get that; sometimes I want to fly my  F/A-18 Hornet right into the Pacific and call it a day.”

“Stop being so morbid and come give mama a hug.” Raven, the most morbid of them all, demanded from the front porch.

Lexa stopped in her tracks, testing the brunette mechanic. “Why don't you stop being lazy and come down here and get one yourself.” 

“You do realize that I can take apart that pretty Jeep of yours and turn into scrap parts for O’s Hornet right?” Raven retorted with her arms crossed. “ _ And  _ I can also make you starve while you’re here. We all know Lexa Woods can't cook to save her life.” 

As if on cue, Lexa’s stomach voiced its disappointed in her not eating since she left this morning. “Fine. But I’m only coming to you because I can smell your famous shredded chicken chimichangas from here.” 

“That’s my girl.” Raven gave Lexa a genuine smile and opened her arms for Lexa to sink into. The hug was brief but satisfied them both. “Now get your ass inside soldier! Mama’s got some good cooking that’s getting cold the longer we stand out here and chit chat!” 

Lexa huffed out a laugh and entered their house and sat down at the dining room table. She was immediately joined by Clarke on her right side and Pauna on her left, with his head on her knee. 

Conversation flowed easily among the small group of friends. They caught each other up on anything and everything that had happened since the last time they had seen each other. When everyone was finished, they all pitched in with the cleaning process: Lexa taking the dishes to Raven, who washed them, then handed them to Octavia who dried them, who handed them to Clarke, who put them where they belonged. 

“So, what are the plans for tonight crew?” Lexa asked as she plopped herself down on the couch next to Clarke and Pauna. 

“I’ve been wanting to try that one bar, Mick’s, down in South Tampa if you guys are up for that,” Raven offered.

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“Well, O, just because you haven't heard of it doesn't mean it’s non-existent.” Raven crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, in typical Raven fashion.

“Well, Rae, what’s it called so I can make sure it isn't a complete dump like the last one you took us to,” O snapped back.

“I literally just said it was called ‘Mick’s’, don't you listen to a word I say?”

“No, not really.”

“You two fight like you’ve been married for 45 years,” Lexa said, breaking up their mini argument. 

“I don't think they would make it to 45 years. They would end up killing each other by year two,” Clarke shrugged.

“Good point.”

Octavia ignored everything they said, mainly because it was true, but partly because she had been reading the reviews on Mick’s and was slightly impressed. “Okay, so there are a couple hundred reviews on Mick’s and most of them are good. I’m down to clown if you guys are.”

A collective nod of heads in agreement went around the room. “Alright, so wanna head back to my place and get ready? Or do y’all want me to run there and then come back and get ready here?” Lexa asked, already standing up to leave, regardless of what they decided. 

“I say we get ready at your place because one, you’re closer to South Tampa than we are, and two you don't have any dog hair that can be transferred to our outfits.” 

As if he understood what Clarke had said, Pauna put his head between Lexa’s legs and whined.

“I know buddy, but I’ll be back tomorrow, I promise.” Lexa rubbed the top of his head, scratched under his chin, and kissed him between his eyes. “I promise.”

Lexa was in the living room with Pauna when everyone came back downstairs with their things in hand. She said one last goodbye to him and then they all piled into Lexa's car and left for her Airbnb. 

  
  



	9. Ava meets the gang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys like this chapter, i absolutely loved it and honestly can’t wait to get off my ass and write the next one bc its about to be a wild ride for this group

**Ava ** walked into her new home for the hundredth time in the two weeks she had been there. It was beachfront and had the absolute best sunset views. Views that were breathtaking even on stormy days. 

She had done a lot of research before she bought this specific house. It was a little bigger than what she was looking for, but she could afford it no problem. Plus, Oliver had some really good input on the house. He himself had built quite a few basements in his various homes over the years, so she went to him for help when it came to inspecting the house. 

Oli said it was the perfect distance from the water at high tide and it was on a slight cliff, which would make it hard to flood if there was a bad storm. The foundation was apparently rock solid, the roof was in perfect condition, and the supports were strong. He was very confident in the houses ability to withstand a tropical storm or hurricane. 

**Four months prior:**

“The only thing I would be slightly concerned about would be the windows. Other than that, I think you’ve got yourself a very good home.” Oliver had called her after his second inspection. He did two just to make sure he hadn't missed anything the first time around.

“That’s an easy fix.”

“Really? What are you planning on doing?”

“I’ll just have them replaced with bullet proof glass. That should be enough right?”

“Yeah, I think that will be plenty.”

“Awesome, I’ll go ahead and finalize the paperwork!” Ava was beyond stoked to get out of D.C. She had always said she would retire at the beach; now that it’s actually happening, she could barely contain her excitement. 

  
  


**Present:**

“Are you sure I wouldn't be overstepping?” Ava had called Oliver earlier asking if he wanted to come over for dinner so they could officially catch up. He politely declined, because he already had plans with some of his friends. Instead of leaving her hanging though, he invited her to join. 

“I’m positive. You’ll love these guys and I’ve already told them you’re coming so now you have to.”

“Who are you talking to?” Ava heard an unfamiliar voice on the other end of the phone. 

“It’s my friend Ava, from D.C.” Oliver answered. 

“Sharpe? Like,  _ the _ Ava Sharpe? As in the former Deputy Director of the FBI, Ava Sharpe?” the voice on the other side of the phone sounded like she was hyperventilating. 

“Yes, that Ava Sharpe,” Oli chuckled. 

“The same one that got shot down with you forever ago?”

“Yes, one and the same.”

Ava heard a little commotion and Oliver say “Reyes, c’mon!” before the unfamiliar voice was no longer speaking through Oliver. 

“Hi, this is Master Sergeant Raven Reyes speaking. Oliver has informed us that you were thinking about joining us this evening, is that correct?”

“Uh, yeah I was thinking about it.” Ava sounded a little confused at the sudden change in demeanor from what she heard on the phone. 

“Great, I assume Oliver knows where you live, so we will pick you up in an hour.”

Ava didn't get the chance to respond, Raven Reyes hung up the phone without saying another word or offering a chance to back out. 

Oli texted her a few seconds later and told her to wear one of her jersey’s. It was apparently game night at the bar they were going to. It wasn't a problem, the exact opposite actually. Ava had a bit of a collection of sports jerseys, ranging from soccer, hockey, football, and softball to jerseys that Olympians wore during the games. 

It took her right at an hour to shower, do her makeup, and get dressed. Right as she walked downstairs she heard the faint sound of car doors shutting and a “Holy shit, this place is huge!” from Raven.

Ava opened the door and greeted everyone, Oliver first. “Oli! Hey!” she held out her arms and engulfed her friend in a tight hug. 

“I’m glad Reyes convinced you to join us this evening,” he laughed lightly, knowing Raven hadn't given her much of an option. 

“Yeah, me too. It was starting to get stuffy here.”

“How the hell was it getting stuffy in here? This place is  _ huge _ !” 

“I take you’re Master Sergeant Raven Reyes,” Ava recognized her voice from the phone call and the “holy shit” from earlier.

“In the flesh. Nice to meet you, Captain Sharpe,” Raven held out her hand. “Or do you prefer Deputy Director?” 

Ava took the Latina’s hand, not really sure if she was being sarcastic or serious. “Ava’s fine.”

“You can call me Raven then.”

“Ava,” Oli started, “I would like to introduce you to Lincoln, Bellamy, Clarke, Octavia, and Lexa. Guys, this is Ava.”

A collective “nice to meet you” went around the group. 

“We’ve heard a lot of stories about you, Ava.” Lincoln offered, she almost got lost in his smile. Damn, she was into women but his smile made her swoon a little. 

“All good things I hope,” she smiled and dropped her head. 

“Mostly,” Oliver answered. 

“Is there anyway we could get a tour of this place before we leave?” Raven asked. She hadn't taken her eyes off Ava’s house since they had pulled up. 

“Yeah, follow me.” 

Ava took them through all three floors, starting at the basement first. 

“The previous owner had used this for storage, but Oli and I are going to convert this,” she pointed to the far wall, “into a fully functioning bar. That,” she pointed to the corner next to the bar area, “is where the pool table is going to go. Over there,” she pointed to the opposite corner, “is where we’re going to put a large sectional, a couple recliners, and an 80 inch TV. The door next to that will lead to the gym and another bathroom. And that door behind the bar will lead to a storage area.”

Ava took them back upstairs to the main level where the large living room and kitchen were. There were two bedrooms, one on the kitchen side, the other on the living room side; each had their own full bathroom. The space was massive and almost completely open. 

The upstairs is where the master bedroom, library, two guest bedrooms, and a smaller living room were located. 

“Woah. This is very impressive, Ava.” Lexa spoke for the first time since they had met. 

“Thank you, I worked hard to get here.” Ava had a lot of pride in herself for the person she turned out to be. She had a pretty broken childhood and hadn't let that hold her back from getting what she wanted. 

“If you don't mind me asking,” Clarke started, “why such a big place for one person?”   
“Honestly, because I can,” Ava shrugged. “I plan on renting it out some, though, when I’m gone. With this property being the way it is, I can make a pretty penny for a few months of renting it out to tourists.”

“Where are you planning on going?” Oli asked. This was the first time he had heard of Ava leaving. 

“C’mon, I’ll show you.” Ava led them out to the large, three car garage. “This has been a dream of mine since I was a teen.” There was a beat up, 1958 model VolksWagon bus on the far end of the garage. “She needs some work, but eventually it will have a bed, a small kitchen, cabinets, fridge, and outdoor shower hookup.” 

“You are just full of surprises,” Bellamy had his hands on his hips and a look of awe on his face. 

“What can I say, I’m a jack of all trades.”

“A lesbian in a van, traveling the country, and kicking ass. I like it,” Raven smirked. 

“How did you know I was gay?” Ava hadn't told them, she was pretty sure Oli hadn't told them, and she didn't think she dressed too gay…

“Please. Only lezzies wear that and look that good in it,” Raven was looking her up and down, so Ava did the same and re-evaluated her outfit. Black and white checkered Vans, ripped black skinny jeans, her autographed Jake Fromm Georgia Bulldogs jersey, and her apple watch with a traditional silver band. Yeah, she looked gay as hell. 

“New town new shit?”

“You and I are going to get along just fine, Sharpe.” Raven threw an arm around Ava’s shoulder, giving her a side hug. “Now, let’s get to that bar shall we?” 

The group headed back to the two vehicles parked in front of Ava’s house. Raven and Octavia climbed into the back of Oliver’s Tahoe, with Ava in the passenger seat. Lexa, Clarke, and Bellamy hopped in Lincoln’s Audi. 

It didn't take long for them to get to Mick’s, time which Raven spent grilling Ava about her life and Octavia telling her to stop being weird. 

Once they arrived, they all piled out and headed to the door. Oliver talked to the bouncer, Digg, who let them all skip the line and head inside. 

The bar was bustling to say the least. Almost as soon as she walked in, Ava could feel someone staring at her. She looked to her right and low and behold, someone had already recognized her. Ava offered a genuine smile to the shorter blonde, who was currently frozen in place with her mouth hanging open just a little bit...

  
  



	10. Sara Lance's favorite night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i totally wrote this before the previous chapter and meant to post it before posting the one about Ava but totally forgot too. Anyway, it flows pretty well with the chapter order so you shouldn’t be confused or anything

Sara, like clockwork, made her way into Mick’s and sat down at one of her three usual spots. A re-run of the Georgia vs. Tennessee game was playing on the main screen. She was a huge Georgia fan, therefore she opted to take the seat with the best view of the main TV. 

It didn't take long for the place to fill up, game nights were especially popular around these parts, partly due to the fact that it was the only night you could get Leo’s signature drink the “Cold Gun.” 

Not only was that drink the best damn drink in all of south Florida, it was also the biggest mystery. Not a single person had been able to guess what ingredients were in it. Leo actually had a bet going around that if anyone could guess what all of the ingredients were, they would get free “Cold Guns” until they either died or the bar closed down. Many had tried and all had failed.

In order to keep people from guessing and using process of elimination to get the ingredients, he would wait for you to stop listing and simply say “yes” or “no.” Needless to say, there was a whole lot of “no” going around on game nights. 

People even tried to steal the bottle Leo used to pour the drinks with. He would pre-mix them an hour before they opened and put it into a black bottle and when someone ordered one, he would give the bottle a gentle shake to mix it up and pour it into a glass. The only thing anyone knew for sure was that it was blue margarita mix that made the drink a light blue color. Other than that, no one knew what was in it. 

“Yo, Leo! I’ll take a Cold Gun when you get the chance!” Sara yelled from across the bar. She would have gotten up, but the place was already packed and she was afraid she would lose her seat. 

Leo dropped her drink off five minutes later with a shot of tequila, just how she liked it. 

“Thanks, Leo. You’re the best!” She said as she held the shot up in the air, tapped the bottom of the glass to the table, and threw it back. 

She was working on her third Cold Gun when Nate, Amaya, and Ray walked in and motioned for her to join them at their booth. She did, of course, because what else did she have to do. 

“Hey guys, what’s up!” Sara yelled, a little too loudly, over the music/people. It was just past 10:30 and the crowd was really starting to gather. The bouncer, John Diggle, had even gotten there early to maintain the crowd. 

“Are you drunk at 10…” Nate looked at his watch to confirm the time, “35?”   
Before she could give an answer, Amaya jumped in. “How many of those have you had?” she asked, pointing to the Cold Gun Sarah was holding.

“Uh, just three? Also, three shots of tequila.”

“Sara! It’s not even midnight yet!” Nate objected, throwing his hands in the air dramatically.

“I say she’s an adult and she can do what she wants,” Ray defended. 

“Thanks, Ray. That’s why you’re my favorite,” she smiled and patted him on the shoulder, taking the seat next to him. 

“Drink up, losers.” Mick had seen the small group come in and decided to go ahead and give them a few shots of the good stuff so they could catch up with Sara. “Three shots for everyone. Everyone except for you.” He directed the last part at Sara and set a glass of water down in front of her. 

“That’s not fair!” 

“You’ll thank me later, blondie.” 

Sara flipped him off as he walked away. It really was for the best. She downed those shots and Cold Guns within the first hour of her being there. Her temperature had already risen and her lips were starting to go numb. 

“I gotta pee, I’ll be back.” Sara stood up and started towards the bathroom when she stopped dead in her tracks. She couldn't believe her eyes…

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lemme know what you think!!!


	11. Kate's unexpected reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, so it took me a little while, but i finally got to where i liked this chapter. i wanted to go ahead and connect all the dots bc i’m not entirely sure how long this is going to be but i figured i would go ahead and bring everyone together.

**Kate ** and Rick did one last walk through and admired their newly decorated house, before they headed out for the evening. Espo, Ryan, and Lanie helped them get their house ready before the kids flew down with Martha and Alexis next week. Rick’s mom and daughter had been more than happy to watch the kids for a couple weeks while they got everything ready. The last thing the couple needed was three kids running around destroying all the progress they had made on decorating. 

Lanie pretty much invited herself to come help Kate keep Rick from turning their house into a Rick cave. Espo and Ryan, on the other hand, were actually invited to help the couple out with the heavy lifting and manual work. Because, who really wants to do all that by themselves when they have two very capable friends to do it for them? 

“It looks amazing, Kate,” Lanie said as she wrapped an arm around her best friend. “But I have to say, I like your old place more…”

“You’re only saying that because our old place isn't 18 hours away,” she smiled sadly. 

“Well I mean, can you blame me?”

“No, not really…” It hurt Kate to know that she was so far away from everything she had known before. Everything and everyone she had grown up around. Sadly, as much as she missed New York already, she was in love with Tampa and that was before she started her new job at the FBI. 

“I’m gonna miss you, girl.” Lanie turned and engulfed her friend in a hug and let a few tears escape. 

“I’m going to miss you too, Lanie.” Kate gave her friend a tight squeeze as reassurance. “I will come and visit anytime I can and we’ll fly you down anytime, I promise.”

As if on cue, Castle and boys walked in the living room and interrupted the moment. “Hey! None of that mess, we’re going to have fun tonight. No sadness, not yet.” Espo ordered. 

“Shut it, Javie.” Lanie half-snapped back. 

“No, he’s right. We need to go out and enjoy the night. We can be sad when it comes time for you guys to leave.” Kate smiled down the lump in her throat. 

“Exactly. Now let’s get going shall we.” Rick opened the door for them and held his hand out, guiding them outside. 

Kate stopped just short of the door and looked back at her new home and then to her husband. They shared a sweet smile and took a deep breath. It finally hit, this was real. 

Kevin parked the rental car outside Mick’s Pub and everyone filed out of the SUV. 

“Damn, this place is pretty crowded.” Espo commented. “You guys sure you don't wanna go somewhere else?”

“I feel like all of the bars are going to be like this, honestly. St. Pete/Tampa area is highly populated.” It wasn't a lie, but the main reason Kate said this was because she really did not feel like sitting in a car with Ryan’s driving anymore than she had to. That man could not drive to save his life, which is also why Espo always drove the duo to and from scenes. He wouldn't even be driving if it weren't for them needing a sober driver and he was the only one that didn't really drink that much anyway. 

It took them about 20 minutes to get into the bar and Espo was right on his initial observation. The place was  _ packed _ to say the least. There was no way they were going to find a table. 

“You guys just want to go to the floor and we’ll get you drinks?” Lanie offered the boys. 

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. It would be too crowded for all of us to be at the bar.” Rick state, and the boys made their way to the main floor.

Lanie and Kate pushed their way to the front of the bar and waited to be tended to. “Have you noticed how literally everyone here is wearing some type of jersey?” Kate shouted over the music and TVs. 

“Yeah, I thought that was kind of odd. Maybe it’s a special night or something.” Lanie shrugged. She wasn't really that into sports so she wouldn't have fit in anyway. 

“It’s game night, it’s kind of a tradition around here.”

Kate and Lanie turned to look at the person who had supplied the answer to their question. She was about Lanie’s height and blonde. 

“I’m Sara, I own a gym just down the road and come here all the time. Two of my best friends own the bar.” Sara stuck her hand out as she introduced herself. Her speech was slightly slurred, they figured Sara was a few drinks in at this point. 

“I’m Kate and this is my friend Lanie,” they each shook Sara’s hand. “I just moved here from New York with my husband Rick. Lanie and my two old partners came down and helped us move in and get settled.” Kate, once again, shouted over the noise. 

“Well let’s get you all welcomed in properly.” Sara went around the bar and started fixing a round of drinks. “You said there’s five of you?”

“Yes, but just a Corona for one of them. He’s our DD.” Lanie answered. 

“Leo! Put four Cold Guns and a Corona on my tab!” Sara told one of the other bar tenders, presumably the owners. After a few minutes of making drinks, Sara came from behind the bar with four blue drinks, a beer, and four shots of what looked like tequila, maybe vodka or gin. “Follow me!” She yelled. 

Kate and Lanie motioned for the boys to follow them and proceeded to follow Sara. 

“Guys, this is Kate and Lanie. Kate just moved here from New York and Lanie’s helping her move in!” 

“Hey! Nice to meet you! I’m Ray, this is Nate and Amaya.” Ray wore a genuine smile as he introduced everyone. 

Kate startled a little when Rick came up behind her and put his hand on the small of her back. “Oh and this is my husband Rick-” 

“Richard Castle! It is a pleasure to meet you!” Nate scrambled over Amaya and shook Rick’s hand enthusiastically. “I’m a huge fan of your books.”

“Well thank you, I love meeting fans.” Rick gave his signature smile and patted Nate on the back. 

“You must be the inspiration for Nikki Heat?” He asked Kate, already knowing the answer. “And Detective Raley and Ochoa?” He directed his questions towards Kevin and Javier. 

“Yeah, that’s right.” Lanie elbowed Javier in the ribs to keep him from going all Ochoa mode and trying to show off. 

“And you must be Lauren Parry?” Nate took Lanie’s hand and kissed the top of it.

“Yeah, that’s right.” Lanie swooned and put her hand on her heart.

“Why are you being so weird?” Sara half heartedly slapped Nate’s shoulder. 

“Yeah, come sit down and calm down a little bit.” Amaya all but ordered him. 

“It’s really nice to meet you!” Nate said one last time before Amaya drug him into the booth.

“Wait? I thought Mick cut you off for a little bit?” Ray asked Sara. “And I thought you went to the restroom? How did you get back so quickly and with drinks at that?” 

“Damn, Ray. give a girl a chance to answer will you? I saw Ava with Oliver and his friends and freaked.” Sara scooted everyone over so her new friends could join them in their booth. 

“Ava is who now?” Amaya asked, completely lost as to why this woman had such an effect on Sara.

“Ava Sharpe! You know, the former Director of the FBI?” There was a collective “Oh” that went around the table, but no one was particularly amused. 

“I’m still confused as to why you freaked over her.” Amaya stated. 

“Oh come on! You remember when I wanted to join the FBI and then ended up dropping out of the academy because I hated it?”

“Yeah…” Ray supplied. They all knew the story. The Bureau was too politically based for Sara’s liking so she dropped out before she graduated. 

“Well Ava Sharpe was in my class at the academy and she remains to be the  _ only _ woman to fluster me without even talking to me! And the first time I officially met her, we were at the paintball course learning how to clear a building properly and she pinned me up against a wall and shot me in the chest.” 

Still no one really reacted with much surprise, they were still confused as to why Sara was acting the way she was. 

“She’s the only person to ever best me at anything physical!”

That made more sense, Sara’s too competitive to let something like that go. Even if it was more than a decade ago. 

“So she beat you at a few things and you’ve held a grudge ever since?” Kate asked, just to clarify where they were with the conversation. 

“Yeah basically.” Sara nodded. “And she walked in and acted like she didn't even know me?”

“I’m sure she has met more people than you would ever care to so she probably just didn't recognize you at the moment. What’s the big deal?” Ray asked. 

“The big deal is th-”

“Kathrine Beckett?” 

“Ava Sharpe!” Kate stood up and threw her arms around her old friend. “How are you! It’s been forever since I last saw you!” 

“I’m doing pretty great actually. I just retired and moved down here a couple weeks ago. What about you? I saw where you two finally got married.” Ava looked at Rick and winked. She went to the first wedding they held, but when Rick was kidnapped she dove into trying to help Kate find him. And the second and actual wedding was only a total of five people. Two of which were the bride and groom. 

“You know me, I always have to do things in a dramatic manner.” Rick stood up and gave Ava a quick hug. 

“So what’s new? What brings you down to sunny old Florida?”

“Well, we have three kids now and I got a job with the FBI Tampa office. We figured New York had had plenty of us wreaking havoc and causing trouble all the time.”

“No, no it hasn’t,” Lanie swatted Kate’s leg. “There’s always room for Castle’s havoc.”

“Lanie, it’s nice to see you and the boys again.” She smiled at her old friends and scanned the rest of the table, silently prompting Kate to introduce her.

“Oh, how rude of me. Ava this is,” Kate tried hard to remember everyone’s name without embarrassing herself. “Ray, Nate, Amaya, and Sara-”

“Lance. Sara Lance, it’s good to see you again,” Ava smiled at her and gave the blonde a one up. “It’s been a while.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so from here on out, it will mostly be Avalance bc that’s what i had intentionally planned on focusing on, but now that i have so many freaking characters i want to make sure to give them all justice. but just a heads up, a lot of what’s happening from here on out will be Avalance focused but will definitely include all the characters mentioned previously


	12. She said what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am so excited to post the next chapter bc i wrote it at 2 this morning, its amazing and i love it

**Sara** was taken aback at Ava’s bold and insinuating comment. “You remember me?” Sara yelled louder than necessary.

Ava looked dumbstruck at the accusation that she would ever forget Sara Lance. How could anyone forget piercing blue eyes and rock hard abs and adorable freckles and- “Yeah, of course I remember you! How could I forget the one person who  _ almost _ beat me at my own game?” Ava winked to add to the dramatic effect. She always joked that the bureau was constructed just for her, since she excelled more than anyone could have ever imagined. 

“You cocky bitch.” Sara didn't mean for it to sound so rude and she didn't mean it literally. If it hadn't been for her previous drinks it would have come out flirty, but not now it didn't. 

“Well shit. I barely say two words to you and we’re back to old habits!” Ava let the sarcasm seep right out of the words. Sara was still as hot as she was the first time they had met in training. Her attitude though, how confident she always was and still is was definitely a turn on. 

“No, I’m sorry. That came out  _ way _ more harsh than I intended,” Sara answered honestly.

“Nah, it’s all good. Don't worry about it.” Ava winked and turned to leave. “It was really good to see you all again.” She was speaking directly to Kate and the gang, but she threw a side glance to Sara too. “You still have my number?”

“Yeah, of course! You still have mine?” Kate asked Ava.

“Yeah, just text me anytime you want to hang out. I’ve really missed you Katie.” Ava gave a sideways smile to her old friend and waved to everyone else as she returned back to her friends. 

As soon as Ava was out of sight, Sara slapped Kate on the arm. Kate didn't even budge, she just looked at Sara with a confused look.

“You didn't tell me you knew Ava!” Not that she really had any obligation to but still, Sara had been gushing about the woman right in front of Kate. 

“Yeah, well...I was just curious to see how you knew her!” That answer apparently didn't satisfy Sara because she swatted Kate on the arm again.

“Stop slapping people!” Nate chastised and threw a french fry at Sara. 

For the time being, the conversation settled on a more appropriate topic and away from the elephant in the room.

  
  


Meanwhile, over on the other side of the bar, Ava was just returning from her chat with Kate and her friends when Oliver threw an arm around her and pulled her in close. “You know, Sara Lance is a bit of a loose cannon. I would be careful pursuing her.” 

“What? I’m not  _ pursuing  _ her? I was catching up with my friends from New York.” Ava was most definitely not interested in Sara Lance in the slightest bit… “You know Rick and Kate, don't you?”

“Don't forget you can't lie to me, Sharpe. I have that sixth sense that tells me when you’re lying, and you’re lying.” Oliver removed his arm from around Ava’s shoulder and picked up his beer. “Just trying to give a good friend a warning is all.”

“Hey, Sharpe. Nice to see you’ve come back to the dark side,” Raven jokes. 

“Who said I ever left?” Ava winked. Damn, she was winking a lot tonight...if she wasn't careful, she would strain her eye muscles. 

“Looks like you have a fan though…” Raven nodded her head to the short blonde that was looking Ava up and down while on her way to what seemed to be a backroom. 

Ava licked her bottom lip as she watched Sara stalk through the crowd to the door next to the counter.

“Oh shit, someone’s caught the Director’s eye.” Octavia added her observation, putting an arm around her best friend. 

“You should go for it!” Lexa encouraged.

“Yeah, say fuck it and follow her! What’s the worst that can happen?” Clarke gave Ava her approval. 

Ava smirked at the group and turned on her heels, headed straight for the door Sara had gone through a few seconds before. Her confidence faltered slightly as she pushed the door open and saw an empty room. The shots had kicked in at that point though, so she shook off the nerves and closed the door behind her. 

She was convinced she had dreamed that Sara walked through that door and almost left. Then she heard a toilet flush and water running. 

Sara walked out of the private bathroom in Mick and Leo’s office and stopped dead in her tracks. Sure, she stared at Ava  _ very _ provocatively and yes she wished she would follow her, but she didn't actually think it would happen. 

Before she knew it she was up against the back wall with Ava’s lips all over hers. Sara didn't really have time to react so it took her a split second to get her bearings. But once she did, it was on.

Ava’s right hand was tangled in Sara’s hair while her left was pulling the smaller blonde flush against her front. 

Sara licked Ava’s bottom lip and as soon she did Ava’s mouth opened wider, giving her the access she wanted. Their tongues danced and frustrated feelings from their past came out in their kiss. 

It was hard but slow. Neither one of them wanting it to end anytime soon. 

Sara pushed off the wall and guided Ava to the couch in front of them. They managed to walk around it without breaking apart. 

When the back of Ava’s knees hit the front of the couch, she lowered herself down and Sara on top of her. Sara ground her hips down onto the base of Ava’s stomach. She could feel her abs tense under her center and that drove her to push her tongue deeper into the taller blonde’s mouth. 

Sara swallowed Ava’s moan and continued to grind her hips against the woman under her. Ava’s hands moved from Sara’s face, down her sides skimming the sides of breasts breasts, and came to rest on her ass. 

“Oh! Dammit, Sara!” The two hadn't heard Mick come through the door and jumped off the couch like two teenagers being caught by their parents. 

Both of their faces were as red as the Georgia jerseys they were wearing. “Mick! Shit man, I’m sorry!” Sara was the one to offer the apologies as they fixed themselves. 

If things could go worse, of course they would…

Ava looked past Mick’s shoulder to find Oliver, Raven, Octavia, and Kate laughing at them from the floor and Raven gave Octavia what looked like a $20 bill. 

After a few more seconds of awkwardness, Ava excused herself and walked as calmly as she could to her friends. “So, uhm...how much of that did you see?” She didn't really ask anyone in particular but Kate was the one that answered. 

“Well, you see. After Sara left the table, all of us pretty much followed her eyes, which led us to you, which led us to you following her, which led me to here, where I re-acquainted myself with Oliver, and saw you feel your girlfriend up in the back room.” 

Everyone tried to keep a serious face as Kate finished her very long run on sentence, but failed miserably. Raven was the first to break, then Lincoln and Bellamy, and soon everyone was dying. 

“Sara Lance is  _ not _ my girlfriend!” Ava defended herself weakly.

“You are so red right now!” Lanie had joined the conversation a little late and was a little lost at why everyone was laughing at Ava. “What the hell happened over here?”

“Well, you see-”

“Kate.” Ava tried to be serious as well, but failed just as miserably and broke into a fit of laughter. 

The rest of the night went pretty much like that, full of laughter and fun. Eventually Kate and Lanie introduced Oliver’s crew to Sara’s and they made one huge montage on the dance floor. All of the games had ended and the live band was performing. As the drinks kept coming, the confidence levels of a certain two blondes increased. 

Before long, it was 2am and Ava was absolutely plastered and offered for everyone to come back to her place to continue the party. 

Nate questioned if Ava’s house was going to be able to hold that many people, but Raven quickly corrected him, stating “Dude, her houses fucking  _ huge _ ! It could fit all the unicorms you could  _ ever _ want in there!” Raven was just as plastered as Ava and her sentences were growing less and less comprehensible. 

Luckily every car had a DD and they eventually made it back to Ava’s place in one piece. The party didn't stop there though. Ava took everyone down to the basement, where the bar was currently being built, and pulled out the good stuff. 

Sadly, Ava didn't really see Sara that much after arriving at Ava’s house. Not until it came time for everyone to hit the hay, at around 4am...

  
  



	13. The morning after...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posting will kind of be choppy for the next month or so bc my university is shut down and all of my classes are moving online (which is going to be a complete bitch bc how tf are you supposed to do physics and chem labs online??) anyway, so please be patient w me i promise i will post as much as i can but idk how work+school+social life is going to be balanced at this point

Ava woke up with a knife in the back of her head. Or that’s what it felt like anyway. She definitely had incredibly too much to drink with the gang last night and should have drank more water before she went to bed. 

Ava rolled over, evading the bitch ass sun that decided to rise this morning and threw her arm over the small figure beside her. The figure shifted and pushed their back against Ava’s front and sighed, falling back to sleep. Ava smiled and tightened her grip on the blonde and started to follow her back into sleep…

_ Wait, what the fuck? _

Ava’s eyes shot open and her entire body froze at the sight in front of her. Sara fucking Lance was cuddled up against her and Ava  _ liked  _ it? She did her best to slow her breathing down enough to slowly pull her arm away from the blonde, but must have stirred her awake. 

“Five more minutes,” she groaned. 

_ Five more minutes? _

Ava was panicking internally, not really sure of how to proceed without fully waking Sara up. She gently kicked the covers off of her legs and started to shift her weight so she could stand up quickly and get the hell out of there. 

_ One, two, three! _

Ava jerked her arm away from the sleeping woman still in bed and stood up, completely paralyzed. Of course her plan didn't work, what kind of plan was that anyway? Sara woke up moments later, having a similar reaction to Ava’s.

The taller blonde could see Sara’s entire body stiffen right about the time she got another piercing pain through her head. 

“Fuck.” She complained to herself. 

“Fuck.” Sara repeated. 

Ava looked up, putting a hand on her head to try and ease the pain, and met the bluest eyes she’s ever seen. Sara forgot to take her mascara off last night and it took everything in Ava’s power to not bust out in a fit of laughter at the tiny racoon currently sitting up in her bed. 

“We didn't…” Sara motioned between herself and Ava.

“No…” Ava answered. 

“Are you sure? Because I remem-”

“Yes,” Ava cut her off abruptly. She cleared her throat to help even out her voice. “I’m sure.” She cleared her throat again, not really sure what the next move should be. 

“Okay, good. Because that would be weird, right?” Sara sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than Ava. I mean, the way Ava looked with the sun shining behind her and the beach just beyond that...it could do a lot to a woman. 

“Right. Totally weird.” Ava laughed and threw a dismissive hand in the air. “Totally weird,” she repeated again, low enough that it didn't appear that Sara heard her. She brushed her hand through her hair and shifted awkwardly on her feet. “I, uhm, I’m gonna go make some coffee and see if I have enough food to make everyone breakfast.”

Ava didn't give Sara a chance to answer, she bolted down the stairs the second she finished her sentence. Of course she didn't have enough food to feed the literal army of people in her house, but it didn't seem like anyone was awake so she ordered a shit ton of groceries from Postmates and had them delivered to her house about 45 minutes later. 

She knew Oliver loved french toast and she heard Raven mention “survivors breakfast” last night and how she would rip open a pack of turkey bacon and “make it my bitch” so she threw some of that in the oven. Other than those two, she wasn't exactly sure what everyone liked so she cooked everything. Eggs, pancakes, crepes, sausage, literally anything you would find at your local iHop, she cooked it. 

Sara came downstairs about 20 minutes after Ava started cooking, with a clean face she might add, and offered to help, but Ava being Ava declined politely. 

Instead, Sara sat at the kitchen island and watched Ava expertly prepare food for all of their friends. It was quite adorable actually. Ava probably spent close to $200 on food for the gang and now she was cooking it all. All before 7am at that. 

“Are you sure you don't want any help? I make a mean omelet…” Sara offered her services once more. She felt bad for watching, occasionally stealing some bacon or a bite of eggs, and not helping. 

“I’m sure, I promise.” Ava smiled at her sweetly. “I really enjoy cooking. I haven't had the chance to cook this much in a very long time. I kinda missed it.” 

It took every ounce of self control for Sara not to grin like a love-sick idiot at Ava’s comment. The more time she spent with the former DD of the FBI, the more she began to realize how much she missed her. They were always partners at the academy. They spent months together, but they only ever talked shop. It made Sara kind of sad that she never got to know this side of Ava. 

“Did I wake up in a Waffle House parking lot again?” Raven came around the corner, into the living room, with Octavia in tow. 

“No, Rae. We’re at Ava’s house,” O rolled her eyes at her best friend and then laughed at the memory. “That was a fun night though,” she added. 

“Wait, you were serious? You actually woke up in a Waffle House parking lot one time?” Ava questioned. 

“Yep. It was three years ago,” she started, coming around the kitchen island and threw an arm around Ava’s shoulder. “Me, O, and Clarke got absolutely plastered after returning from our first deployment together and somehow ended up in the back of Bellamy’s car at a Waffle House 30 miles from home.” Raven looked up at the ceiling as if she was watching the night unfold before her eyes. “Literally one of the best nights I have had and probably will ever have.”

“Yeah, except we didn't have the keys to Bell’s car so we had to call Lincoln to come and pick us up.” Octavia followed Raven around the island and rested her elbow on Raven’s shoulder. 

The two best friends sighed at the happy memory, then directed their attention towards the food. “Okay, enough story time. What do we got?” Raven got straight to business and started mapping out exactly what she was going to eat. 

“Turkey bacon, pancakes, crepes, eggs, sausage, potatoes, waffles, and french toast. Octavia, I know you’re vegan so I made sure to get vegan pancake mix and I have a shit ton of fruit in the fridge.” 

“You’re the best,” Octavia opened the fridge and got out all the fruit she wanted and put it into a bowl, then grabbed a pancake and took a seat. 

Raven on the other hand, got at least one serving of everything listed except for waffles. And then she grabbed some fruit and found herself a seat beside Octavia . 

“Good morning all,” Oliver came through the patio door covered in sweat. “Weather’s perfect for a run if anyone wants to go on one. It’s supposed to rain later today.” 

“Did you even sleep last night?” Sara asked. Everyone had gone to bed around 4am and it was barely 8am. 

“My body clock doesn't let me sleep in, unfortunately.” He shrugged and headed towards his room to shower and get changed. 

“You should’ve seen him on mission. He always volunteered to be the last watch because he literally wakes up at 5am every morning. Last watch is the last watch you want because you have to wake up and stay awake while everyone else sleeps an extra hour or so, which doesn't sound bad but it absolutely kills you.” Ava never knew how he did it. First watch, easy; second watch, easy; last watch, sucked. 

“See, that’s why you stay on base like me and don't do all that badass shit that you did. I prefer sleeping in the barracks rather than on the ground.” Raven shrugged and stuffed another bite of pancake in her mouth. 

“Jesus, Raven! Slow down will you? You’re liable to asphyxiate at the rate you’re going.” Octavia warned. Raven answered by sticking her tongue out the best she could without losing the food that was currently in her mouth. “You’re disgusting.” O added. 

“Something smells amazing!” Kate and Rick walked into view with Nate, Amaya and Ray, already fully dressed. “Who cooked all of this?” 

Ava smiled shyly and ducked her head. Sara thought it was the cutest thing ever. “Ava. She woke up at like six and cooked it for us.” Sara answered for the taller blonde, which earned her a questioning look from Nate. She rolled her eyes and ignored his gaze. 

“Do you have omelets?” Rick got all giddy and picked up his pace. 

“Sara said she can make a mean one,” Ava was now answering for Sara, which earned her a look from Amaya this time. 

“I have a special request…” 

“Please don't say it,” Kate put her hand on her head and squeezed her eyebrows together. 

“Smores omelet,” Rick mimicked a mike drop.

“He said it.” Kate sighed. 

“What the hell is a smores omelet?” Ava asked. 

“You never told her about smores omelets?” Rick put his hand over his heart, feigning hurt. 

“Why would I tell anyone about the worst breakfast creation ever…”

“Because it’s amazing…”

“How do you make it?” Sara asked, already getting up to move beside Ava at the stove. 

“Exactly the same as you would a regular, boring, omelet, except you crush graham crackers and chocolate in it and then add marshmallows on top.” Everyone, including Raven, scrunched up their faces in slight disgust. 

“Uh, okay yeah. I’ll do my best.” Sara offered. “Do you have all of the ingredients?” she asked Ava. 

“Uhm, yeah I think so…” Ava turned and went through her pantry. She had chocolate and marshmallows, but no graham crackers. 

“Up there,” Sara pointed to the top of the pantry at the box of Scooby Snacks. 

Ava looked at her like “What the hell am I gonna do with that?” 

“They’re basically the same thing.”

“That’s very true, I didn't think of that. Rick, will Scooby Snacks work? I don't have any regular graham crackers.”

“Yeah, that should work.”

Ava turned back to the pantry and reached up to the top shelf to grab the snacks. Sara stepped back to give her more room. Her eyes drifted from the top shelf to the small of Ava’s back, where her shirt had ridden up, down to her ass, and back up to the small of her back. There was a hint of scar showing from under her shirt. 

Sara snapped out of her trance when Ava finally got the box and handed it to Sara. She took the box and grabbed a pack of snacks out and handed it back to Ava; who much to Sara’s disappointment, put the box on the middle shelf. 

As Sara prepared Rick’s omelet, she kept getting questioning looks from Nate, Ray, and Amaya and it was driving her crazy. She felt like all eyes were on her and it was making her nervous. 

That is, until Ava put her hand on the small of Sara’s back so she could reach for the salt that was in front of her. The small action caused her to relax a little and slightly lean into the touch. It was gone all too soon, sadly.

“Hey, where are Clarke and Lexa?” Sara asked O and Raven.

“They had to be back on base at 6.” Octavia answered. 

Ava walked over to Kate and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Where are Lanie and the boys?” 

“They had to head out around 5:15 to catch their flight back to New York,” Kate answered, sadly. 

“Awe, Katie…” Ava wrapped her friend in a hug and kissed the top of her head. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just miss them already.” 

“That’s completely understandable. When are the kids getting here?” Ava let go of her friend, but stayed close. 

“Martha and Alexis are flying down with them in five days and I could not be happier. I miss my babies,” Kate smiled at the thought of her children. 

“I can't wait to meet them.” Ava never saw herself as a mom, more like a cool aunt that completely spoils them rotten so she was ecstatic to finally get to do just that. 

“They’re gonna die when they see this place. You’ll instantly be their best friend with a house like this and a view like that,” Kate pointed her thumb to Sara, who was finishing up Rick’s omelet. 

“Oh shut up,” Ava swatted Kate’s hand away. Her face and neck started heating up. 

“Oh! I meant that,” Kate pointed her thumb to the beach then, giving her friend a coy smile. 

“There’s nothing going on between us…”

“Mhm. Is that why you slept with her last night?” Kate laughed when Ava threw her hand over Kate’s mouth and shushed her.

“I did  _ not _ sleep with her!” she whispered harshly. “Well, I did...but not sexually.”

“Huh?”

“We slept in the same bed, but we didn't do anything. I honestly don't even remember how she ended up there in the first place.” 

“Mhm…”

“I hate you,” Ava rolled her eyes and walked back towards the kitchen to get away from her insufferable friend. 

Eventually Oliver, Lincoln, and Bellamy joined the group and they all ate and chatted with one another. A couple hours passed and everyone started going their separate ways. 

Oliver stayed, because he was supposed to help Ava with the van today and somehow Sara ended up staying behind as well. She used the excuse that she lost track of who all had left when she was helping Ava clean up, so she missed her ride with Ray, Nate, and Amaya. All of whom had given her an encouraging thumbs up while she was elbow deep in soapy water and bolted out of the door. 

After a while all of the dishes were cleaned and put away in their proper spots, leaving Ava and Sara in the kitchen alone. They both stopped to take a breath, but it didn't take long for the tension to build in the room. 

Ava normally would have escaped, saying she was going to go for a run, but it had already started raining so that rules that option out… 

“Wanna help me and Oli with my van?” was the only other thing Ava could think to say. 

“You? In a van?” Sara leaned back against the counter and crossed her arms. “I don't see it…”

“It’s not your ordinary soccer mom van. She’s a vintage 1958 VW bus. Me and Ollie are fixin’ her up so I can take off around the country,” Ava said proudly. 

Sara couldn't help the wide grin that came across her face at Ava’s excitement towards her van. “Yeah, I’ll check it out then.” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope that you all are staying safe w the COVID-19 going batshit crazy rn. wash your hands and avoid large crowds!!!!!  
ALSO i am working on a character sheet bc some of you aren’t very familiar w all of the characters so hopefully this will help you all understand the story a little better. i’ll probably post that before i post the next official chapter.


	14. CHARACTER SHEET/not a real chapter

**Character sheet: **

**Ava Sharpe: **

**Occupations:** Former Air Force pilot, Special agent with the FBI, and Deputy Director of the FBI. 

**Currently retired **

**Friendships: ** Kate Beckett, Richard Castle, Lanie Parish, Kevin Ryan, Javier Esposito, Oliver Queen

**Relationship: ** to be established

**Lives in: ** St. Petersburg, Florida

**Sara Lance: **

**Occupation: ** Owns her own gym called Sara’s (ik basic right) 

**Friendships: ** Zari Tomaz, Mick Rory, Leonard Snart, Nate Heywood, Amaya Jiwe, Ray Palmer, Nora Darhk

**Relationship: ** TBD

**Lives in: ** Tampa, Florida

**Kate Beckett: **

**Occupations: ** Former Captain of the Twelfth Precinct in New York City 

**Currently** **working as a special agent with the FBI in Tampa**

**Friendships: ** Ava Sharpe, Lanie Parish, Javier Esposito, Kevin Ryan, Jenny 

O’Malley 

**Relationship: ** Married to Rick Castle and has three kids, Lily, Jake, and Reece

**Lives in: ** Tampa, Florida

**Lexa Woods: **

**Occupation: ** Former Military Working Dog (MWD) Handler (Explosive detection)

**Currently working in the Marine Infantry Battalion known as **

**“one-two” or 1st Battalion, Second Marines**

**Friendships: ** Clarke Griffin, Raven Reyes, Oliver Queen, Octavia Blake, Bellamy Blake, Lincoln Pine, and Pauna

**Relationship: ** On and off with Clarke Griffin

**Lives in: ** Lejeune, North Carolina

So like i said in the beginning, this fic is literally just a thrown together AU with my favorite characters from my favorite TV shows (Legends of Tomorrow, Castle, and The 100) and there’s a small reference to Arrow with Oliver Queen and John Diggle, but other than those two, Arrow really won't have that much attention in this fic. 

  
  



	15. Money Management

Ava ran upstairs to change and get in some work clothes, then laid another pair of work clothes for Sara on the bed. After they were both changed, they headed to the garage where Oliver had already set up shop and was preparing a checklist of things they needed to get done, preferably before the day was over. 

Sara, Ava, and Oliver ended up working on Ava’s van for the remainder of the day. Turns out, Sara is really good at buffing paint so that’s what she did while Ollie and Ava started laying the floors down inside. They all had leftovers from breakfast for lunch and got back to work right after. They made  _ huge _ progress on the van. Before they started, the entire van needed buffing, the wood floors needed laying, and the bed frame needed built. 

By the time they wrapped up, the entire van had been buffed and was ready to be painted, the floors had been lain all threw the van, the bed frame was finished,  _ and _ the windows had been replaced with the same bullet proof glass that Ava had used on her house. 

“Honestly, I don't think we could have gotten this much accomplished with three days worth of work if it weren't for your help.” Ava directed her compliment to Sara and bumped shoulders. “I really appreciate it.”

“Yeah, no problem. It’s been awhile since I did anything like this, the pleasure was all mine,” she shrugged. 

“So you’ve done stuff like this before?” Oliver asked. 

“Not anything exactly like this, but I did remodel my place when I first moved in. I had some help from Nate, Ray, Amaya, and Ray’s girlfriend Nora though so I can't take all the credit.”

“You’ll have to show me sometime,” Ava smiled and then internally panicked. She didn't mean to insinuate that Sara should invite her over for any reason, it just kinda came out. 

Seeing the panic in Ava’s eyes, Sara put a comforting hand on the woman’s elbow and said, “Yeah, that sounds great.” 

Meanwhile, Oliver was watching this little scene unfold in front of him and couldn't help but root for his friend. If he knew Ava, he knew she would come up with a million excuses to dismiss the comment and act like it never happened. So he helped her out a little bit. 

“I don't know about you two, but I could really go for a drink. Wanna hit up Mick’s?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” Ava and Sara answered at the same time, which made the moment that much more adorable between the pair.

About an hour later, everyone had showered and changed into some clean clothes; well kind of, Sara always carried a clean pair of underwear in the side pocket of her purse because she never knew what she would get herself into. She left her jersey at Ava’s and stuck with the same pair of black jeans and the white tank top she wore under her jersey the night before as her outfit. They were just going to Mick’s so she didn't really care what she looked like. It was a Sunday night, so it was never really that crowded. 

“I’ve gotta ask you a question,” Sara and Ava were waiting in Ava’s car for Oliver to come back out with his wallet, which he forgot the first time around. 

“Shoot,” Ava smiled, looking at Sara. 

“How the hell do you afford this place? I know you must have had a pretty hefty budget as the Deputy Director, but damn Sharpe, this place had to have cost you a couple million at least.”

Ava chuckled lightly, she had been getting that question pretty often and already had an answer prepared. “I’m really good with money...like, really good.” 

“Like how good?”

“Well while in the Air Force I had a friend, who worked for Dow Jones at the time, put everything I saved into an investment account with a 16% annual interest rate. When I first joined the bureau, I put everything I could spare into that same account and just didn't touch it. Once I made Deputy Director, I had a  _ lot _ I could put in there so I did. I didn't touch it until I put the down payment on the house.” Ava shrugged like it was no big deal, because to her it wasn't. Even as a teenager, she never really bought anything unnecessary and almost always had more money than her friends. “Oh, and I bought a property right outside of D.C. straight out of the force and started renting it out. I put all profits made from that into the investment account as well.”

Sara didn't say anything and Ava took that as a bad sign. Some people take her money smarts as bragging and tend to give her the cold shoulder because they think Ava thinks of herself as superior to them. 

“I can like, write it out and give you a spreadsheet,” Ava tried to laugh off the awkward silence. 

“Yeah, I would actually really like that.” Sara was dead serious. Her gym made plenty of profit, but not enough to give her the margins to buy as much new gear as she wanted. 

“Really? You’re interested in that?” Ava was shocked that someone was actually the least bit interested in money management. Most of the time, when she tries to help people with their spending habits, they dismiss everything she says and continue with what they’ve been doing. 

“I kind of need new gear for my gym, but I don't really have the money to do that. Don't get me wrong, the place brings in plenty of cash, but not enough to get all the shit I want and it’s been bugging me for the past year.” 

Ava smiled and looked down at her hands that were resting on the steering wheel. “Well, if you promise to keep helping me with my van, then I promise to have your gym stocked with brand new gear by the end of the year.” Ava was obviously going to do anything she could to help Sara, but she needed a valid excuse to see her more often. 

Sara acted like she thought about it for a minute then shook her head and held out her hand. “Deal.” 

Ava reached across the console and shook the blonde’s hand, “Deal.”

About that time, Oliver finally got back after searching for his wallet for the last ten minutes. “Hey, sorry it took so long. I found my wallet in the microwave for some reason?” Last night's antics were fuzzy, but he definitely did not remember putting his wallet in the microwave. 

“If I had to guess, I would say Raven is responsible for that,” Ava didn't really have a clue as to who put his wallet there, but it sounded like something Raven would do. 

“I honestly would not doubt that for a second,” he laughed. “I’m afraid I won't be able to join you ladies at the bar though. General Sterling just called and said he needs me back on base ASAP.” 

“I take it you need me to drop you off?” Ava started her car and put on her seatbelt. 

“Yes, if you wouldn't mind I would greatly appreciate it, Sharpie.” Oli threw her old nickname into the fold. 

“Sharpie?” Sara asked.

“Yeah, it’s a nickname that Queen Bee back there gave me,” Ava gave Oli a sideways glance through the rearview mirror.

“I thought we agreed to  _ not _ call me that…”

“I thought we agreed to  _ not _ call me Sharpie…”   
Oli thought for a second before giving in, “Fine.”

The base was a short 20 minute drive from Ava’s house. After they dropped Oliver off and said their farewells, the two women headed in the direction of Mick’s. They pulled up just before 9:30pm and sauntered on in. The bar was lively, but not near as crowded as it was the night before. 

“Come back for more?” Sara jumped as Leo came out of nowhere from behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. 

“I swear, one day you’re going to do that and I’m going to flip you over my back and knock your ass out,” she halfheartedly slapped his arm. 

“You wish you could get me on my back,” Leo flirted, looking Sara up and down. 

Ava stiffened and she wasn't exactly sure why. She didn't really have a reason to be jealous over Leo flirting with Sara, but she definitely was. 

“Don’t you, like, have a husband?” Sara questioned, motioning for him to bring his eyes back up to hers. 

“Yes, well I’m gay, not blind. Anyone would be honored to jump in bed with you, Lance. Isn't that right?” Leo directed his attention towards Ava who blushed profusely at the comment. 

“Uh, well...I mean,” Ava cleared her throat and ran her hand through her hair. “Can I have a beer?” Her voice went up a couple octaves when she asked the question and she thought she would die in that moment. 

“Yeah, stop creeping and do your job.” Sara lightly shoved him towards the bar. 

Sara looked at Ava and couldn't help but grin at the big bad former Deputy Director completely red faced at Leo’s commentary. She grabbed the taller woman’s hand and led them towards one of Sara’s usual booths in the corner. 

Moments after they sat down, Leo came back over and sat their beers down. He winked at Sara and backed away from their table, giving them some privacy. 

“So why did you decide to move down here of all places? I’m sure you could’ve afforded something a little nicer, like Hawaii…”

Ava laughed shyly and took a drink of her beer. “Well, as a kid, my grandparents would bring me and my brother on vacation with them in Daytona and I always loved coming down here. But I honestly can't give you a straightforward answer about that. I guess I was kind of drawn here,” she shrugged her shoulders dismissively. Ava knew it sounded stupid. You don't just pack up your entire life and move to a different state without fully thinking about the consequences. 

“What do you mean?” Sara shifted to where her back was against the wall and both feet were on the booth. 

“I don't know, I just-”

“Hey! Get your hands off me!” Ava was interrupted by a woman yelling at a tall burly man at the edge of the bar. Neither Leo nor Mick were behind the bar at the time and the man was starting to get aggressive towards the small woman. 

“I said, you’re comin’ with me,” he spat. 

“And I said,  _ no _ !” The woman attempted to jerk her arm out of the man’s hold but his grip was too tight. He looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching and pulled out a pocket knife, holding it just below her rib cage. 

“Don't make me say it again,” his voice was pure venom. There was no doubt that he was not planning on giving up anytime soon. 

Ava and Sara slid out of their respective booths and approached the man. Before he had a chance to react, Ava interlocked her right arm under his armpit and planted her right hand on the back of his head, forcing his arm up and his head down. This got the knife away from the woman and unbalanced his center of gravity. As soon as Ava stripped the knife from his hand, Sara kicked the back of his legs, knocking him down on his knees. 

“I believe the lady said no.” Ava still had a hold of his arm so she jerked her hip forward into his shoulder blade causing it to pop. She didn't push hard enough to fully dislocate, but he would  _ definitely _ feel that in the morning. 

As the man cried out in pain, Leo had already come back to the bar and called the cops. The woman hugged Sara and Ava and thanked them for saving her from that asshole. Five minutes later, the cops arrived, took everyone’s statements, and arrested the man for attempted assault and carrying a blade over the legal length. 

“We make a pretty good team, you and I…” Sara bumped Ava’s shoulder as they walked back over to their booth and forgotten beers.

“Yeah, maybe we do.” Ava smiled at the smaller blonde as they slid back into the booth. 

“You’ll have to teach me that move you did. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

“I’ll have to stop by the gym someday and show you,” a rush of butterflies hit Ava’s stomach at the suggestion. “Usually I would have kneed him in the nose, but I wanted to give you the chance to inflict some damage without going into overkill.” 

“Well I appreciate that,” Sara smiled shyly at Ava. “I like knocking assholes like that down off their high horse.” 

Close to two hours later, the ladies left the bar. Ava drove Sara to her apartment and the two exchanged promises of seeing one another again soon. Sara gave Ava her number and email before she got out saying, “My email is for that spreadsheet you promised,” Sara said, raising an eyebrow. “And my number is...well that’s up to you to decide what you want to do with that,” she winked and shut the door on that note. Sara swayed her hips a little extra on the way up the stairs because she had a feeling a pair of grey blue eyes were watching her the whole way. 

Ava hated to admit it, but she most definitely stared at Sara’s ass from the time she shut the door to the time she was out of sight. She wore a stupid grin on her face for the entirety of the trip home. The stupid grin didn't leave until she fell fast asleep. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Okay so these numbers are actual numbers that a friend of mine’s dad started out with when he got out of college. He was and still is VERY smart with money and doesn't buy anything unnecessary. The numbers aren't 100% exact, but Chris (my friend’s dad) actually saved closer to 3 million because his first job out of college had his starting salary at $180,000.  **This chart does NOT include money that Ava got back in return investments bc that is near impossible to calculate unless I really want to dive into some financials from 18 metaphoric years ago. ** Also, I just did this for fun so it's not important to understand the story, but I love playing around with money and financials so this was actually really super fun for me lol. 

**Ava: Air Force**

| 

Year 1

| 

Year 2

| 

Year 3

| 

Year 4

|   
---|---|---|---|---|---  
  
Salary

| 

$45,000

| 

$50,000

| 

$65,000

| 

$73,000

|   
  
Saved

| 

$15,000

| 

$20,000

| 

$30,000

| 

$35,000

|   
|  |  |  | 

Total Saved: $100,000

| 

Savings after interest rates: ~$148,685  
  
|  |  |  |  |   
  
**Ava: SA w/ FBI**

| 

Year 1

| 

Year 2

| 

Year 3

| 

Year 4

|   
  
Salary

| 

$75,000

| 

$75,000

| 

$75,000

| 

$75,000

|   
  
Saved

| 

$6,000

| 

$7,000

| 

$7,000

| 

$6,500

|   
|  |  |  | 

Total Saved: $60,000

| 

Savings after addition to IA: ~$307,965  
  
|  |  |  |  |   
  
**Ava: DD of FBI**

| 

Years 1-3

| 

Years 4-6

| 

Years 7-10

|  |   
  
Salary

| 

$172,000

| 

$172,000

| 

$175,000

|  |   
  
Saved

| 

$65,000

| 

$70,000

| 

$75,000

|  |   
|  |  | 

Total Saved: $195,000

|  | 

Savings after addition to IA: ~$2,573,527  
  
|  |  |  |  |   
|  |  |  |  | 

**TOTAL SAVINGS OVER 18 YEARS: ~$2,573,527**  
  
**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what I can do to critique these characters/their stories, I've written a lot of it but I might can change a few things. Drop a comment and tell me if you like it or not!!!!


End file.
